Chapter 49 Back to the Start

The live broadcast of the dismemberment would start at 12. At 11:50, the police were still clueless.

At 11:53, the number of fans following the murderer’s account was close to ten million. He updated it with another message, “It seems that the police have no way to save their medical examiners. Well, I shall bring forward my performance as a sign of gratitude to you all.”

At 11:54, Lu Boyan arrived below the 16th block. The chief showed him the latest news uploaded by the murderer. Lu Boyan’s eyes narrowed and he called Mu Sijue.

He could not wait any longer, no matter whether this was the last moment or not.

There was someone else who could wait no longer. It was the murderer who was at the end of his rope.

He held his knife and walked toward Su Jianan slowly. “We are about to start. Don’t be afraid. There are many people online watching us.”

He cut off the rope that tied Su Jianan, leaving behind the ones that circled her hands and legs. Then, he carried her off the chair and laid her flat on the ground. He took out his phone and took a photo of her. “This is the last photo of your complete body. I have to take it well.”

Su Jianan looked at Jiang Shaokai. It was also at this moment that Jiang Shaokai successfully untied the rope around his hands. He stood up suddenly and charged at the window—

There was definitely a sniper waiting for the right moment. As long as he could pull open the curtains, the sniper would be able to take aim at the murderer.

The murderer’s expression changed drastically when he discovered Jiang Shaokai’s movements. He threw down the mobile phone and grabbed his gun.

He aimed the black gun at Jiang Shaokai. Su Jianan screamed hoarsely, “Jiang Shaokai!”

“Clack—”

The heavy curtains were pulled open forcefully.

The mid-afternoon sun was extraordinarily strong as it surged into the room. Su Jianan was blinded by the sunlight and closed her eyes. Then, she heard the sounds of two gunshots.

“Bang—”

“Bang—”

The second gunshot was followed by the sound of glass shattering. It was shot by the police sniper from outside. The first shot… came from the room.

Su Jianan ignored the pain from the blinding sun and opened her eyes. She saw the man and Jiang Shaokai both lying on the floor.

The sniper shot again and the man’s hands and feet were shot and he could no longer move. Meanwhile, Jiang Shaokai’s abdomen had been shot. Blood stained his white shirt and the color on his face slowly faded.

“Jiang Shaokai!”

Su Jianan could not untie the ropes on her hand and feet no matter what, and she could only struggle where she was.

Just then, there was a loud bang. It seemed that the main door outside had been forced open. Then, Su Jianan heard many footsteps of people running in. She did not care and only looked at Jiang Shaokai and called out his name.

Someone helped to untie the ropes around her hands and feet and she seemed to have smelled a familiar scent. But she did not care to investigate further. She crawled towards Jiang Shaokai and helped to cover his wound with her trembling hands. Blood stained her hands and flowed from the gaps between her fingers.

Her eyes slowly grew red.

“Don’t cry.” Jiang Shaokai tried to smile. “I still have things to tell you. Jianan, if I die so uselessly by this bullet, help me tell my parents that I’ve just gone to visit my grandmother. Tell them not to be sad…”

“Don’t speak.” Su Jianan’s tears still flowed down the corners of her eyes. “Jiang Shaokai, you won’t die!”

The doctors and nurses carried a stretcher in. Su Jianan helped them to move Jiang Shaokai onto it. She seemed to have heard someone calling her name. And just as she wanted to turn around, Jiang Shaokai suddenly closed his eyes. Her mind suddenly went blank and she held Jiang Shaokai’s hand tightly subconsciously and kept calling his name. She followed the doctors and sent him downstairs hurriedly.

Lu Boyan looked at Su Jianan’s back with a self-mocking smile on his lips. He called Mu Sijue and told him, “Everything’s fine now. Have them all retreat.”

“Oh?” Mu Sijue laughed. “Jianan really saved herself? I already said that the girl is actually very smart. She…”

Lu Boyan hung up and glanced at the murderer who was lying on the ground. His eyes flashed, and he turned to leave a second later.

He walked downstairs and saw Su Jianan boarding the ambulance hurriedly, holding Jiang Shaokai’s hand and muttering to him. Her expression was full of worry and anxiety, and there was a hint of tears at the corners of her eyes.

Then, the ambulance doors closed and sped out of the estate.

He had been behind her and helped to untie her. He had thought that she would be very afraid and wanted to hug her and tell her that everything was alright now. But her eyes had been affixed on another man, and the distance between the two of them was but just a centimeter.

He would not know that he had been there.

Lu Boyan got on the car. Wangyang was smoking. Lu Boyan glanced at him.

Wangyang knew that Lu Boyan did not like others smoking. Lu Boyan used to smoke, but he suddenly quit a few years ago. He snuffed the cigarette and said, “I won’t smoke anymore.”

Lu Boyan took Wangyang’s cigarette box and took out a cigarette. He asked, “Where’s the fire?”

Wangyang almost started to doubt his ears. He passed the lighter dazedly to Lu Boyan after a while and said, “I don’t use matches.” He heard that Lu Boyan used to like lighting his cigarettes with matches. His matchbox was exquisitely made and the matches were thin and white. There was a clicking sound and the red and blue flame started to burn.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Lu Boyan lit the cigarette casually. Wangyang felt that his gaze was slightly odd as he looked at him through the rising smoke. However, he only dared to ask what his job entailed. “Where are we going?”

“The hospital.”

Reporters who followed the ambulance crowded outside the surgical department of the City People’s Hospital. Jiang Shaokai was given emergency surgery in the operating theatre.

Su Jianan and Jiang Shaokai’s mother sat quietly on the seats outside the operating room. After a while, urgent footsteps could be heard. Su Jianan was very familiar with them and she looked up, her eyes turning red immediately, “Brother…”

Su Jianan would only dare to say how afraid and how aggrieved she had felt before Su Yicheng.

“Everything’s alright now. The murderer has been apprehended by the police.” Su Yicheng hugged his younger sister tightly. “Everything’s fine now. Don’t be afraid.”

Su Jianan nodded. Su Yicheng patted her shoulders and released her. Then, he walked up to Jiang Shaokai’s mother and said, “Mrs. Jiang.”

Mrs. Jiang tried to smile. Su Yicheng thanked her sincerely, “We really have to thank Shaokai this time. If he had not taken the risk, my sister would probably be…”

“He always said that he was a policeman. I think that he felt he had to do this.” Mrs. Jiang held Su Jianan’s hand. “Jianan, you must be tired. Go back with Yicheng. It’ll be fine with me here. Shaokai’s father is already rushing back from abroad.”

Su Jianan shook her head. “Auntie, I want to wait for his surgery to end.”

“Alright.”

Mrs. Jiang did not say anything else bu returned to her seat and watched the room of the operating theater anxiously. Su Yicheng pulled Su Jianan to one side and asked, “Did you see Lu Boyan?”

“Him?” Su Jianan was confused. “Isn’t he in the United States?”

“He’s back. He went to Tianan Garden immediately after landing. Chief Tang and I saw him go up downstairs. How can you not see him?”

Su Jianan suddenly thought of the familiar scent she smelt when her hands and legs were being untied. And… There seemed to have been someone calling her after that.

Was it Lu Boyan?

She was even more confused and she shook her head. “Jiang Shaokai was bleeding profusely then, and I couldn’t be bothered… Furthermore, he said he would be gone for seven days. Why is he back so soon?”

And he had come back at such a coincidental timing…

Su Yicheng smiled and said, “This… you have to ask him.”

If it was like what he had thought, the person who had been overlooked should be feeling so upset his insides hurt. He was excited to hear Lu Boyan’s reply to Su Jianan.

Su Jianan felt that Su Yicheng’s smile was a little odd but did not say anything in the end. She returned to her seat and kept Mrs. Jiang company.

After a short while, Jiang Shaokai was pushed out from the operating theatre. The chief surgeon told Mrs. Jiang, “Don’t worry. The bullet has been removed and no vital organs were damaged so his life is not in danger. He’s just lost too much blood and would need to recuperate for some time.”

Mrs. Jiang heaved a long sigh of relief and said, “Thank you, doctor.”

Su Jianan’s worried heart finally relaxed. She followed as Jiang Shaokai was sent to his ward. Mrs. Jiang did not allow her to stay and said, “Jianan, go home and eat something and rest for a while. I’ll ask Shaokai to call you once he regains consciousness.”

Su Jianan had not eaten or drunk anything since last night. She suddenly felt hungry when she heard what Mrs. Jiang said. She nodded and left with Su Yicheng.

However, she did not expect to see Lu Boyan’s car outside the surgical building.

“It seems that I don’t have you send you back anymore.”

Su Yicheng smiled and left in his own car.

Su Jianan hesitated for a moment, but then still walked up to Lu Boyan’s car. He opened the door and looked at her. “Chief Tang asked you to rest for a week.”

“Alright, I got it.”

Su Jianan felt afraid and exhausted after this ordeal. She did need to rest for a few days.

“Get in, I’ll send you back. Lu Boyan frowned slightly, not allowing her to object.

Su Jianan was too tired to get a taxi. She got on the car and Lu Boyan got on as well. She looked at his side profile and asked softly, “Didn’t you say you had to work abroad for seven days? Why are you back?”

Could she really not guess, or was she unable to?

Lu Boyan glanced at her and said, “I was done with work and came back early.”

Indeed, she had thought too much. It was really a coincidence.

“Oh.” Su Jianan hid the disappointment in her voice. “Wake me up when we get home.”

She closed her eyes and fell deeply asleep shortly.

When the car turned, her body fell towards Lu Boyan. Lu Boyan saw her toppling left and right and in the end, he moved over and let her lean on his shoulders.

She shifted comfortably and hugged Lu Boyan’s arm. There was a satisfied look on her face like a child who had gotten candy.

Lu Boyan’s terrible mood took a slight turn of the better. He told the driver to switch off the music and pulled down the curtains so that the light will not shine at Su Jianan’s eyes.

He took care of her throughout the journey and Su Jianan naturally slept well.

An hour later, the car stopped outside their door. Su Jianan was still deeply asleep. Lu Boyan wanted to carry her off the car but she suddenly opened her eyes.

She found that she was still leaning on Lu Boyan and was hugging his arm. Su Jianan wanted to bite herself. She immediately shrank backward and apologized. “Sorry, I, I fell asleep. I didn’t mean to…”

Her politeness and distance made Lu Boyan’s gaze cool. He said with a voice almost completely devoid of emotions and said, “It’s alright.”

He was so cold, it felt as if she had been drenched by icy water. Su Jianan did not say anything else and got off the car as if she was on the run.

The two suddenly returned to how they were when they first met. They were distant and polite, as if those days of hugging and kissing had never happened.

Su Jianan had once wanted to find out, even in her dreams, what surprise Lu Boyan would bring her when he returned. But now that he was finally back, she did not even ask about it.

She thought Lu Boyan must have forgotten, right?

They were only acting, there was no need to be so close.